Nearly Blackout?

[bite ya]

Hi all, i've been training in static and dynamic for 10mths or so now after my first AIDA freediving course and would love to compete next year....

Question...
I was training last week in static at my pool and pulled a great time out of the bag, come up clean and pulled myself out of the pool.

When i was out of the pool some 20-30secs later my hearing went very mufflelled and i felt like i was drunk (can't remember exactly what drunk feels like as i haven't had a beer in years!!) I did feel really light headed which i don't normally feel, i have never had a blackout or samba and just wanted to know why i felt like this?

Was i close to blackout?

Thanks
Chris

[ILDiver]

How long after you came up from the static until the time you got out of the pool? How did you get out of the pool (steps, ladder, lifting over the edge)?

If you were out of the pool 20-30 seconds it sounds like you should have recovered your oxygen levels if you did your breathing right. I would think exiting the water you would have felt blackout symptoms sooner, like almost immediate as the heart was trying to catch up.

Did you maybe have water in one ear? Throwing your balance off?

[bite ya]

I climbed out of the pool by lifting myself over the ledge (same level as the water) i took about five to six recovery breaths and then got out.

Definatly no water in my ears, the only way i can describe it was a really light headed feeling one that i have never felt before and the strange ringing in my ears.

Chris

[ILDiver]

Spend more time in the water before getting out, a few more good breaths. I would also recommend that if you lift yourself onto the ledge, don't stand up right away. Sit on the ledge take some breaths and make sure you feel ok then stand up and continue to make sure you feel ok. The O2 and your heart need to catch back up. Too much gravity to quick can be bad Like getting up to fast from a nap.

Were your lips blue when you came up from the dive?

[bite ya]

My buddy said my lips were o.k, i think you might be right i just got out too quick! I usually kneel down in the pool for a bit longer but was just a bit excited about the new time i posted.

Thanks, the whole blackout thing just scares the life out of me even to the point where it can effect my time.

[MahiMan]

.... sounds like you began exerting to much energy before your body recovered, I agree with ILDiver let those O2 levels catch up to a safe level before doing anything strenuous.

I had a big scare two days ago in water no deeper than 25fsw, stayed under longer than I should of and felt my legs burning on the way up.. took a breath once I broke the surface and nearly blacked out! My head felt tremendously heavy, dizzy and everything visually got fuzzy... I fought it and managed to stay conscious, it all happened so fast and came over me all of a sudden. It was def a scary experience to say the least.... anyone know what may have happened, it was the first time this has happened to me.

[cdavis]

Bite ya: Doesn't sound like a standard BO/samba, especially if you were standing up. Too much time to be apnea related low 02 to the brain. However, your blood pressure, heart rate, etc can do some funny things after a dive and standing up could have dropped your BP too low.

Mahiman: Yours sounds like a classic almost BO. You might have taken a breath, but the 02 had not had time to reach your brain. Sometimes taking a big fast breath can drop your blood pressure in the brain and make low 02 even worse, short term. Search for "hook breath" and find out how to minimize that problem. Better yet, a good course will teach you a ton about all sorts of techniques to make your diving safer.

A "big scare" can be a very good thing.

Connor

[trux]

In fact, it is rather classical. After the end of the breath-hold, the oxygen level continues to drop a moment, and may even drop seriously if you do not ventilate properly and long enough. After the end of apnea, the metabolism falls back to the aerobic mode, diving reflex disappears, oxygen consumption grows, the O2 is used also for breaking down cumulated acid lactic, so if you do not continue ventilating properly, you will black out or get samba easily. That's why we see most of sambas and blackouts after surfacing.

Additionally, when you pull out your body out of water, or stand up abruptly, it quickly changes blood pressure conditions - brain gets less blood and hence also less oxygen, so you can black out easier even if you felt relatively fine after the breath hold. It is not without a reason, that at competitions, the judge waits a minute before confirming (or disqualifying) the performance.

[bite ya]

Thanks all, can i just confirm i'm doing my recovery breaths right?

When i finish a static i'm usually in the kneeling postion. I then take 5-6 quick recovery breaths. These are a quick inhalation and a slower exhale.

Is this o.k?

[MahiMan]

Thanks for all the insight guys, I appreciate it.

[ILDiver]

Originally Posted by bite ya

Thanks all, can i just confirm i'm doing my recovery breaths right?

When i finish a static i'm usually in the kneeling postion. I then take 5-6 quick recovery breaths. These are a quick inhalation and a slower exhale.

Is this o.k?

Strong inhale strong exhale

[DivingDane]

hmmm i was told to do strong inhale passive exhale for the first couple of breaths after surfacing and ensure the initial exhale after coming up is gradual and not forced so as to prevent the change in partial pressures??? then controlled strong inhale passive exhale. then focusing on rach breath in and out foe a minute or 2 before really doing anything (accept surface protocal obviously).

DD

[jay cluskey]

stong inhale passive exhale you re topping up your o2 not flushing it out

[trux]

Originally Posted by jay cluskey

stong inhale passive exhale you re topping up your o2 not flushing it out

I assume you wanted to write CO2. That's then true.

For the recovery, so-called hook-breath is usually recommended. This technique, also used by jet pilots to prevent BO, consists of fast deep inhale and compressing the chest and diaphragm so that the inner pressure (and PaO2) in lungs slightly increases, facilitating so the gas exchange. It also increases blood pressure and hence oxygen delivery to the starved brain. Doing the first few breaths relatively quick will help a more efficient gas exchange and easier recovery. Passive unrestricted exhale may be still fast enough - when the rib cage is already compressed after the hook breath, the air will escape quite quick and allow so for a new inhale even if you relax your respiratory muscles during the exhale. So from this point of view the "passive exhale" may be still correct, although you should not interpret it so, that you should exhale slowly.

EDIT: DivingDane is also right that the exhale (especially not the first one) should not be forced or complete - the short moment when you lower the already low PaO2 due to such exhale might be critical.

[ILDiver]

I was taught 3 hook breaths three stong inhale - exhale for deepdives. But for static, 6 strong inhale and exhale off the top of the lungs. Then the controlled breaths.